Progress to achieve gender equality by 2030 – the 5th Sustainable Development Goal – has stalled. The pandemic set back gains that had been made toward equality, and gender disparities remain entrenched in labor-force participation, unpaid care work, and access to essential services. Nearly one in five young women is married before the age of 18, and more than 245 million women and girls experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner each year (United Nations, 2023).
Yet the scale of the problem should not obscure the fact that some interventions do work, and they may not always require complex programming or large budgets.
Interventions that address the root causes of gender-discriminatory practices tend to have more lasting impact than those focused on surface-level issues. Take the case of child marriage – an illegal but still highly prevalent practice in some parts of the world. In lower-income households, economic hardship often drives families to marry off daughters, either because girls are seen as financial burdens or because marriage can bring a “bride price” in some cultures that eases household strain (Corno & Voena, 2021).
However, recent evidence offers hope. A review of 11 high-quality interventions and evaluations found that programs that provided an economic incentive for children to remain in school, such as cash transfers conditioned on school attendance or payment of school fees, resulted in reduced incidence of child marriage as well as an increase in age at marriage. Furthermore, recent data shows notable progress in South Asia, where the rate of child marriage among girls has fallen from nearly 50 per cent to under 30 per cent. (UNICEF, 2024). Policies and programs must address the intersectional nature of child marriage, which is linked to long-term consequences like lower educational attainment, reduced use of preventive health care, diminished bargaining power in the household, and increased risk of physical abuse and domestic violence (Chari et al., 2017).
As with child marriage, addressing intimate partner violence (IPV) requires tackling the structural and economic factors that limit women’s autonomy. Programs that strengthen women’s economic position have shown encouraging results. A recent systematic review of 19 randomized controlled trials found that economic empowerment interventions targeting women — such as cash transfers, vocational training, and access to credit — can significantly reduce their risk of experiencing physical, sexual, and emotional violence. These findings are based on women’s self-reported experiences, highlighting the potential of such interventions to reduce their exposure to IPV.
But the evidence also offers a cautionary note. When these programs shift household power dynamics without addressing underlying gender norms, they can sometimes lead to increased violence. In contrast, programs that coupled economic empowerment with deliberate efforts to shift gender norms — through dialogue groups or partner engagement — tended to achieve more consistent and lasting outcomes. This finding reinforces a key lesson: when tackling IPV, addressing power dynamics directly matters as much as addressing women’ economic empowerment.
This insight extends beyond households into the public sphere. Increasing women’s representation in political leadership is another way to challenge entrenched power structures – and research resonates with this claim. A literature review found that an increase in female political representation led to improved provision of public goods, especially with regard to education and health. For example, a randomized policy experiment found a notably higher number of drinking water projects by women-led panchayats in India as compared to those led by men. Another study found that female representation in Norwegian politics influenced specific policy choices and parliamentary deliberations, such as increased support for childcare initiatives.
Advancing gender equality is not only a moral imperative but a strategic one. Progress on SDG 5 is foundational to achieving the broader Sustainable Development Goals, as it intersects with nearly every dimension of development, shaping outcomes in health, education, economic opportunity, and peace. The evidence is clear: achieving gender equality requires bold, intersectional solutions and coordinated action across sectors to ensure that all people, regardless of their gender, can reach their full potential.
For more such insights synthesizing high-quality evidence on the progress related to SDG 5 and other Global Goals, visit 3ie’s Development Evidence Portal.
